Sand
by brandtfan
Summary: Both Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett and Lieutenant Catherine Rollins had spent a good portion of their lives surrounded by sand. But after this mini vacation, it takes on a whole new meaning for them in very different ways!


Above the rhythmic humming of the slow rolling waves making their way to the shore's sandy edge, the only other sound that could be heard on that picture-perfect evening was the light bristling of the leaves filling the luscious green trees scattered around the secluded property. It had been exactly the kind of weekend Steve McGarrett needed before another busy week of leading Five 0, and he really wasn't looking forward to it ending in twelve hours.

"It's hard to beat this view." He commented with a deeply satisfying sigh as he stared out at the vibrant blue waters in front of their private Tahitian beach hut.

"Island views never get old, do they?" Catherine asked rhetorically as she joined him with two beers in tow.

"No, they do not." He agreed. "I mean it isn't home, but it's majestic it its own right." He furthered his assessment. "It's eleven thirty," he snorted after glancing to his right and taking in the sight of her bikini top and all, downing a giant gulp from one of the bottles.

Catherine smiled after she savoured the light, refreshing ale for a second. "You turning down a free beer sailor?" she asked with slight amusement in her voice as she swiftly slipped her feet out of the flip flops she'd donned to head up to the house a few minutes earlier.

As if coming to his senses, Steve shook his head quickly. "Nope." He swiped the bottle she was holding for him just as quickly.

"I figured you could use it this morning." She grinned mischievously, making sure he caught a look at her face before putting her own bottle up for another sip.

Steve chose to ignore the teasing and sighed happily. "I'm on vacation." He asserted with a nod in the same way he had been since they'd left Hawaii two nights earlier.

"For a little while longer, anyway." Catherine added with a dejected sigh as she planted her bottle in the sand and gingerly climbed into the hammock they'd fallen asleep in each night since arriving Thursday.

"I'm serious about making this a yearly trip." He spoke as he too secured his drink, slinked out of his t shirt and skillfully climbed in on the other side. He really wasn't sure which one of them he was trying to make feel better.

"Yeah? You think?"

"Yeah, I mean, why not?" Steve replied slightly defensively as they both shifted simultaneously into what had become a familiar position for them. "Three days away from civilization, away from work, away from-"

"Danny." Catherine added jokingly, knowing it was only a matter of time before Steve took the opportunity to take a playful shot at his partner.

"I was going to say our phones." Steve roared a good hearty laugh they both felt resonating through their upper bodies. He planted a few soft kisses in Catherine's hair before continuing. "But yeah, that too." He laughed a little bit more as he tucked the arm not under her head under his own.

"Well, I'm one hundred percent in for making this an annual trip." She agreed, reciprocating the delicate pecks by way of Steve's arm. "He was right about this place." Catherine spoke confidently, knowing the reaction she'd get.

"Uh, come again?" Steve tried to stifle his laughter, but he was just so totally and utterly relaxed that he had no hope of controlling it. "Danny?" He confirmed, truly stumped as to where she could be going with this. His partner didn't know exactly where they were going, as far as Steve knew.

Catherine, quick witted as ever flipped herself around to see his face before she answered. "He said you'd take a vacation anywhere if it was free." She laughed as the last word came out, feeling just as free and relaxed as Steve.

"Oh, he said that, did he?" He replied, feigning offense as Catherine tried burying her unstoppable laughter in his neck. Steve continued after feeling her nodding against him. "Well, that's not entirely true." He defended, doing his best not to laugh himself. He carefully planned his next words as he heard and felt her muffled curiosity about what he meant. "I said if it included free drinks, also." He'd barely got it out before joining her in fits of all encompassing, good hearted joy as he moved to wrap his other arm around her, thereby holding their bodies as close together as possible.

"I'm certainly not complaining," Catherine smirked once they'd both regained their full breath. She moved slightly as she gently caressed the side of his face not folded in the hammock.

"Good." Steve added before leaning in and brushing his lips with hers. "So um…" he placed another gentle one before continuing. "Just so I know," he asked, feeling the grin spread like wildfire across her face letting him know she knew exactly what he was doing. "What about now?" He made sure to brush his stubble across her cheek the way she liked as his lips found their way to her jaw. Earning himself a very encouraging groan, Steve kept going on his journey, first down Catherine's neck and then towards her collar bone. "And now? Still not complaining?" He barely came up from the soft, barely-there fabric covering her sun kissed breasts. A salacious grin crossed Steve's face as he remembered the previous afternoon and evening and exactly what had transpired.

AFTERNOON BEFORE

"Where'd you find this blanket?" Catherine asked as she fanned it out to serve as a barrier between them and the sand. Not only was it scorching hot, but also because there are places sand just doesn't belong. "It seems a little small for both of us, I think."

"It was in the house." Steve shrugged nonchalantly. "And I don't think we really need space to spread out, do we?" He smirked, proud of himself.

Catherine on the other hand, was momentarily confused. "Why.." she trailed off, but quickly got her answer when she turned to look at him. "Steve!" She admonished, fully taken aback by such ungentlemanly comments. Of course, she knew there was a primal male side to him; that was nothing new. The fact that it was outside the privacy of his bedroom, a hotel room or wherever one of them was currently stationed is what threw her.

"What?" He shrugged again with a chuckle this time, feeling completely just in his comments. "It's not like there's any one around." He moved his arms in front of himself, referencing the fact that they were on a secluded tree lined beach where the next closest rental was almost a mile down the shore.

"Steve.." Catherine hesitated as she secured the last of the blankets corners. "You can't be serious," She let out another chuckle filtered through a little trepidation.

"Oh, with that bikini?" he too let out almost a giggle as he crossed the sand and stepped on the blanket to be standing in front of her. "I've never been more serious." After assessing the look in her eyes and the smile on her face, he excitedly wrapped his arms around her waist, making sure his hands came to rest just at the top of her bathing suit bottom.

"Steve…" she tried, but truthfully Catherine knew any attempt to resist would be futile.

"You know you want to," he added, knowing he was right as his fingers teased the back of her suit. Taking in the rest of her body, his theory was confirmed that much more. "See? You're turned on already," he added, closing the gap so their bodies were all but touching.

"Mmm, I'm not the only one." She laughed, allowing a little bit of her hesitation go as she took in Steve's full form too.

His face suddenly lighting up, Steve immediately let go of her. "Hang on, I have an idea."

At the last second Catherine caught the glint of giddy anticipation in his eyes as she watched him take impressive strides up to the house they were calling home for this little trip. She couldn't help but chuckle at him, the big bad Navy SEAL who deep down is not all that different from any other man. Or teenage boy, for that matter.

"Here," he offered a small bottle containing an amberish coloured liquid. "Tequila." He explained simply, as Catherine took it with an arched eyebrow. "I found a mini bar while looking for the blanket." He continued as an explanation.

"And so what," she snorted, "You're going to get me drunk and then..?" She trailed off, having a very hard time thinking Steve would want to do something so shady.

"What?! Whoa, no." He shook his head vehemently. " _We_ get drunk. Together." He smiled, hoping she'd get where he was going with this. "We finish off this bottle and I can guarantee neither of us will care who's watching." He laughed, as if it would encourage Catherine to do the same. Thankfully, she obliged happily and to Steve it was like winning the lottery.

"It's too hot." She spoke clearly, tearing him down just as fast as she'd brought him up a few seconds earlier. "Out here, anyway." She added with an expression he knew very well.

"Well," he almost gasped. "What are we waiting for then?!" He didn't miss a beat between asking and swooping Catherine up in an impressive motion that included not dropping the Tequila bottle or tripping over the blanket.

She cackled as they made it to the house in record time.

"Cath?" Steve mumbled groggily. His eyes fought against the bright afternoon sun coming from the large open window opposite the bed they were sprawled out in as he realized she wasn't beside him. He was equally surprised to realize they'd drifted off to sleep after their early afternoon romp. "What time is it?" he asked the open room, feeling a little more alert.

"Four o'clock." She answered both his questions coming back into Steve's view with a smile from the other side of the expansive, yet simple bedroom. "Do you know where we left the tequila?" she asked, genuinely curious as she haphazardly searched their suitcase sitting on the chair near the bed.

"Uhh," he hoarsely thought aloud as he sat up and forced his eyes to accept the unforgiving light. The fact that the view came with seeing her leaning over wearing nothing but his t shirt was a pretty great incentive. "In the kitchen, isn't it? When we threw your shorts." He smirked, remembering the interesting path they took to the bedroom a few hours earlier.

"Nope, checked." Catherine sighed with a shake of her head. "That's where we left _your_ shorts." She added with a knowing smirk of her own as she plopped herself down on the bed next to him. "My shorts are on the stairs."

Steve nodded, remembering a little clearer now. "Right, with my sandals and your top." Catherine nodded with a grin. "I'm not sure then." He continued while looking around the room. "Um, how about my shorts?" he asked, very aware that there wasn't a stich of clothing between him and the sheet he was under from the waist down. But it only took a flash of her beautiful white teeth for him to realize he wasn't going to need any just yet anyway.

"What about them?" She asked, moving herself to be sitting on his legs leaving them face to face. Like clockwork, Steve happily moved the sheet to invite Catherine under as she discarded his shirt and they were back where they had spent most of the morning, and almost all of the day before.

"You hungry?" Steve asked, kissing her temple as they both worked to catch their breath a couple hours later.

Hearing her laugh beneath him, Steve realized just how he sounded. "Sorry," he chuckled, placing another few light kisses to the side of her head.

"It's okay," Catherine replied, still laughing a little bit. While things had changed between them significantly in the last few years, she was no stranger to Steve's to-the-point way of handling these moments. After all, they'd been born out of necessity many times while one or both was due back on base. "I'm starving." She agreed, rolling herself to the edge of the bed to pick up his t shirt. "Did we eat lunch?" She asked, trying hard to remember as she donned the shirt and went to the suitcase to get shorts for herself and something for him.

They shared a contagious laugh before Steve climbed out of the bed and wrapped an arm around her waist as they headed for the stairs and their final goal; the kitchen.

"Mm, I don't know what's in this," Catherine spoke, pausing to lick the sauce she could feel had slipped down her lip. "But it's amazing."

Steve was about to add his two cents about the complimentary wraps they'd found in the fridge when the sauce on her face caught his attention. He seized the opportunity when she reached across the table for a napkin. "Here," He leaned forward and took care of it for her by way of his lips.

"Hm," she countered, knowing exactly where that kind of gesture was headed. "These are too good to waste." She threw in, hoping the logic would sway him.

"Hang on, there's more." He did it again, seemingly ignoring her protest.

Knowing full well there was nothing else on her face, Catherine couldn't help but giggle. "I'm serious, Steve." She tried to sound stern, but it failed miserably.

"Me too," he moved to look at her, doing a much better job of keeping a straight face than she was. His lips moved from the corner of hers to her cheek and towards the bottom of her ear. "They can go back in the fridge for later." He added in between kisses and little nips. By the time he reached her earlobe, Steve knew he didn't have to do anymore convincing. Catherine wrapped her arms around his neck and they were on the path to being lost in each other once again.

"Tequwwa," Catherine's muffled voice sounded from behind his neck as they rounded the corner from the kitchen. "Hmm?" Steve asked by way of a noise as his lips were quite occupied too. "The tequila," she repeated after moving her head to see the room they were leaving behind even more. "The bottle. It's on the couch." She reported dutifully.

"Ohh ya," He spoke quickly between kisses as he made note of the first step of the stairs leading to the bedroom. "With your bottoms." He added with a smirk before scooping her up in his arms to facilitate the stairs, among other reasons.

After refuelling again, the energetic couple were winding down on the hammock they'd discovered on the beach shortly after arriving Thursday evening. "Jeez, when did it get dark?" Catherine asked as she cozied herself under Steve's broad shoulder.

"I'd guess sometime between dinner and dinner number two." He snorted, referring to the fact that it took them multiple attempts at keeping their hands off each other long enough to consume an entire meal.

"Or was it dinner two and three?" She asked, continuing the joke rooted in so much truth.

"Mm, yeah that was it." He agreed with a nod and a chuckle. "Those really were delicious." He concurred with her earlier comments before draping his free arm over her. "I had no idea this place was going to come fully stocked."

"It's another reason to come back next year." Catherine released a completely sated breath. "And these sunsets, wow." She revelled in the colours and reflections they'd been treated to the first two nights and it was already looking like tonight would be more of the same. The big bright red sun fading below the vibrant blue water's edge was a sight to be seen and one neither of them wanted to take for granted for a second.

"Yeah." He agreed with a small nod. "Incredible. I'd come back for that alone."

Catherine stifled a laugh as she shifted to have a better view of the sky before it became a vast pitch-black abyss with some stars serving as the only light to break it up. "I don't know, I'm pretty partial to the company too."

It was Steve's turn to show his amusement as he too shifted slightly to be more comfortable. "There's no place I'd rather be, and no one I'd rather be here with." He smiled into her hair and planted a few kisses as he did. "The new moon must be tonight." He added, continuing a conversation from the previous two nights.

"Yeah, it has to be." She agreed, thinking about how they'd remarked how much smaller it had gotten last night compared to the first night they fell asleep out there. "It'll be even darker tonight." She put the words out there, interested to see where Steve would take them.

He let out a deeply contented sigh. "That it will, that it will." He took a glance at his watch, calculating about how long they had until it was really that dark. "We've got about two hours until then." He paused, as anxious as ever to see what Catherine's reaction would be.

She completely surprised him by unceremoniously dumping herself from the hammock and causing him to hold on to the edge and grip tightly or he'd suffer the same fate. "Woah," he chuckled, truly taken aback by her sudden movements. "Where're you going?" He asked inquisitively as she dusted her bathing suit bottom off and slipped her feet into the sandals beside them.

"Be right back." She grinned foolishly and was gone without another word. Steve was lost somewhere between impatience and being mesmerized by the beauty of nature before them when he finally heard the sound of the door leading from the lanai close behind him. "Here," she lightly tossed the small glass bottle onto the hammock beside him before setting two glasses down in the sand. It took Steve a second to realize what it was as he fished the bottle from beside his waist at the lowest point of the hammock. He still wasn't feeling up to speed until Catherine, with a smug grin to boot, filled him in on her master plan. "You said yourself, if we drink that neither of us will care if anyone sees us." She explained with a proud smile and hands planted comfortably on her hips.

"Yeah," Steve made zero effort to hide the amusement plastered on his face. "I did, I did say that." He nodded as he examined the bottle, as if deciding what exactly to do with it.

"So," she continued with an elongated pause, hoping he'd pick up what she was getting at. When it was clear a few seconds later that he wasn't going to, Catherine rolled her eyes with a pout that was anything but sour and picked up the two glasses. "You said we have two hours, right? So, what are we waiting for? We gotta get started." She shrugged and giggled a tiny laugh and before she knew it was being swept off her feet and spun into the hammock like a spider catching prey in its web.

Catherine shrieking in surprise and delight turned into the two of them boisterously laughing and rolling together, careful not to end up on top of the glasses or the bottle. "You." He started, making sure his hands traveled to all the right places before continuing. "Are so, _so_ right."

They laughed some more before trying rather unsuccessfully to open the bottle and pour the tequila without spilling any on themselves or the soft material below them. "My shirt's going to be all sticky now," Catherine muttered as she surveyed the baseball sized spot of liquid that had sloshed onto her tank top.

Without missing a beat, Steve let the glasses go over the edge of the hammock to the sand and turned back to her. "Well, it's a good thing you won't be wearing it for long then." He smirked, as she shook her head and took the bottle from him in a move of playful retaliation.

After a very satisfying swig, she lost her cool composure when Steve's clearly surprised grin caught her attention. "Who needs glasses?" She asked with a chuckle and a wipe of her lips.

Steve couldn't figure out what he loved more; her resolve or the fact that he got to witness it more than anyone else. And much more intensely, at that. "What?" She asked, noticing how his expression had changed from surprise to something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Catherine knew it was about a lot more than the bottle in her hands.

It wasn't long before the sun had fully set and they were surrounded by the complete darkness and each other's most intimate nuances. "Mm, blanket." One of them voiced, realizing the hammock was not exactly helping them. In a tangled, yet coordinated fashion they simultaneously made their way to the blanket in the sand. "You sure?" Steve managed to breathe out in a quick moment when their lips weren't together. Catherine had her bathing suit untied and was about to bring it over her head when his words made them both pause. She knew he was ever conscious of what he was asking her to do, and it only made her want to do it more. Tequila or not.

Her only response was to smoothly duck her head and fling the top the rest of the way off, towards the water before turning her deeply seductive glance back to his. "God, you're beautiful." He declared with some wonder in his tone as he lowered her the rest of the way to the blanket and showed her just how he felt.

BACK TO PRESENT

"Hey," Catherine spoke as she took Steve's face in her hands.

"Hmm?" he asked, being pulled from his little reverie.

"Are you okay?" She asked, mildly concerned that they'd gone from all kissing and hands passionately to him seeming on the distant side and no longer in the moment.

"Ooh," he almost winced, a twinge in his shorts making him think back for a second about what he remembered next from their evening between the sand and the surf. "Sand."

Catherine was confused at first, but soon clued in to the look of discomfort on his face. She did her best to hide the brewing laughter, but a little escaped before she went to speak. "Still? Three showers, and you're still finding it in your-"

"Yeah, apparently." He spoke abruptly, not needing the reminder of where the terrible feeling was coming from. He shifted a few more times, hoping he could shake it out of the places he'd cursed it for getting into in the first place.

"I'm not going to say it," Catherine giggled some more, truly feeling a tinge of sympathy for him. Probably because she was much luckier, Cath did quietly enjoy the fact that she'd been right about staying on the blanket the previous night. "I am, however, going to get something to eat." She moved out of his embrace and off the hammock. "You want anything?" she offered as she slipped her feet into the flip flops again.

"Uhh," Steve voiced, shifting once again. "You got any good hangover cures?" he was mostly joking, but there was an element of truth to his plea.

Catherine snorted and gestured towards the beer bottles still standing in the sand beside the hammock. "Sorry, the only remedy I've ever used is sitting right there." Steve let out a little grunt and moved himself to reach over the edge before Cath headed up the beach with a giant grin plastered on her face.

Twenty minutes later she returned with two sandwiches and a new reason to be so smitten by this man she'd come to love so much. He looked so calm and at ease sound asleep with the hammock moving back and forth ever so slightly. Wanting not to disturb his sleep, Catherine made herself comfortable on the blanket and enjoyed the view and the serenity while eating her lunch.

With the breeze picking up the waves, Catherine found herself thinking about how much fun it would be to surf out here. She made a mental note to mention it when Steve woke up, so they could plan for it next year if they did in fact come back. She moved her feet around in the sand, enjoying the reprieve from the heat that burying her feet provided. She swiveled her head glancing back at Steve and chuckled internally thinking about how much different their experiences with sand have been over this mini vacation. She relaxed a few more minutes before surveying their surroundings for about the hundredth time since moving to the blanket by herself. As much as she hated to admit it, Catherine was starting to feel a little bored. With a bit of a huff, she picked up her empty plate and decided to bring Steve's sandwich back to the house for something to do.

"Oh, there's my sunglasses." Steve's grumbling voice took Catherine out of the drifting off she'd been doing for the last few minutes. When she opened her eyes he was standing in front of the arm chair across from the couch she had decided to lay down on when she brought the plates back in.

"Hi," She greeted before sitting up fully and stretching her arms above her head as well as her legs in front of the couch. "I guess I fell asleep." She added, unable to stop a yawn from making its way out.

"Me too," he replied with one of his own. "I'm gonna go take a shower." He threw in, setting his sunglasses on the coffee table between them. In theory, it was a safer surface than the arm chair.

"More sand?" She teased with a grin as he moved around the furniture towards the stairs.

"Funny." He nodded with little enthusiasm as he climbed each step.

Happy with her light jab, Catherine got up with a little bit of renewed energy and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Downing most of it, she felt a little less hot and a whole lot more awake.

It was only another couple of minutes before Steve was coming back down the stairs with a towel around his waist and another one in his hand. "Much better." He moved past her to the fridge for his own water. "I just needed a pick me up. Something to keep me awake through this heat." He tossed the second towel on the counter and enjoyed a big gulp from his bottle of water.

"You too huh?" Catherine nodded before enjoying some more of hers as well. "But I'm not sure the heat's the only thing to blame."

"Oh, I would bet on it not being the only reason." Steve snorted as he put his bottle back on the counter. "Speaking of which, you feel like a swim? I think we've only been in the water once since getting here." He recounted with a smirk.

"Sure," she casually agreed, grabbing the towel he'd set on the counter and heading for the lanai. "I mean, if you're sure you're up to it." She teased as she crossed the threshold and was officially outside.

Steve recognized the look on her face, but as usual with Catherine she surprised him time and time again. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good." He nodded. "That shower did wonders for me. I feel completely re energized." He affirmed, slowly following her and noticing that as he did, her steps got faster.

"No," she shook her head as she quickly looked towards the water to make sure there was a clear path. "I meant if you're sure you've got all the sand out." She teased again before turning to race for the water. She knew Steve would absolutely anticipate that move, but the fact that he was wearing only a towel would help her.

Sure enough, she just felt the water breaching her toes when his large arms swooped in from behind and picked her up. "Steve!" She shouted, knowing exactly what his next move was going to be. He walked further into the water and let it take the towel from him once he was far enough in to be covered. "No! Don't!" she shrieked, realizing what his plans were. Of course, she knew she deserved it and therefore, knew she had to be fully committed to taking her punishment. But it was so much more fun this way.

"Hey, what about surfing next time?" Catherine brought up as they swayed slowly in the hammock a while later in the last few hours they'd get of the Tahitian sun.

"Sure." Steve agreed with no hesitation. "I've heard it's pretty decent out here." He added, but knowing she didn't need any convincing. There was a quiet air between them this afternoon, both knowing the trip was coming to a close much sooner then either of them would like.

Steve and Catherine did their best to soak up every minute of their evening in Tahiti, including enjoying a dinner of some grilled steak Steve had found in the fridge along with some clearly expensive wine Cath had found in the cellar while using the laundry facilities.

"Mm, this is much better than the tequila." Steve commented as they finished up the last few sips of their glasses. "More?" He offered, but she refused. Earning a curious look, she explained.

"I want to enjoy our last night as it is, and besides, I think I'm still a little hungover thanks to that tequila." They both laughed at each other's expense knowing they were both a little worse for wear after finishing the entire bottle in only a few hours.  
"Okay, I'm going to clean this up and then finish tidying the kitchen." Steve sighed, the sadness of reality setting in as he stood up from the makeshift table they'd brought down to the beach.

Catherine picked up on it mostly because she felt the exact same way. "Yeah." She agreed as she gathered a handful of dishes to take to the house. "I'm going to finish packing our suitcase." She chuckled as they walked, thinking about all their strewn clothes. "I'm going to have to take a stock of all our stuff. Make sure I have all my bathing suit parts, and your shirts and shorts."

Steve laughed too, glad to have a happy memory to distract him from his current thoughts. "Did you get the tank top from under the couch?" He asked, the unmistakable grin of that morning's adventure splayed across his face.

"Yeah, and the shirt you lost the first night." Her face reciprocated his as she remembered a separate time. "And my green bathing suit from the fridge." She confirmed with a nod and an eye roll, anticipating his next question just as he'd turned around to ask it.

Steve opened his mouth and then closed it again with a naughty grin. "That was fun." He spoke again as they reached the house. "We'll have to do that next time." He suggested, catching Catherine's second eye roll and wicked grin.

A couple hours later the house was almost as they'd found it, and Steve and Catherine were winding down their last evening in the place that had become their favourite on this trip.

"Are you sleeping?" He asked, unable to see her face as they were lying his stomach to her back, facing the sunset. Though he'd already pretty much gotten his answer thanks to the light snoring noises she'd been producing off and on for the last ten minutes.

"Mm," she grunted. "Trying not to." She let out a deep sigh and shifted a little bit. "What time is it?" Catherine asked, though she didn't really want to know.

"It's late." He answered simply. "You should get some sleep." He added before resting his head above hers, allowing her to be cocooned in him even more.

"Mm," she repeated. "Last night. Want it to slow down." She let out a big breath and wrapped his free arm around her as snugly as she could. Steve knew what she meant and felt it himself, perhaps even more.

"It went so fast." He voiced with a huff of his own. He moved slightly to get as much of a glimpse of Catherine's face as he could only to realize her eyes were closed and she was losing the battle against sleep once again. He stayed silent, inwardly reflecting on the last few days for long enough that he felt Cath's breathing change and he was confident she really was fully asleep.

"Ugh." Steve breathed after catching himself slowly beginning to fall into sleep once more. He blinked, his eyes attempting to adjust to the absence of light. He cast his eyes down at the woman he had wrapped up in his arms in front of him, knowing that if it weren't for her short, timid snoring noises every so often he may not have woken back up for who knows how long. And for a man trying so hard to savour absolutely every last second he had in this paradise with the woman he loved so fiercely, using time on something as wasteful as sleep wasn't appealing in the least. He was doing his best to stay alert as he had to do on so many missions and assignments over the years, but the truth was he wasn't as accustomed to those as he once was. Not to mention, the physical exertions of this weekend were not quite like any he'd experienced before. He could feel himself slipping, but Steve knew he could do little to stop it. Here he was, the happiest he'd been in his entire life with the woman he loved wrapped in his arms. It already felt like a dream, he realized, so sleep was inevitable in the end.

"Hey, Steve." Catherine's soft voice tickled his ear just enough to rouse him. "Steve, you have to wake up." She continued trying gently to get a response from him.

A soft grumbling noise was the only acknowledgement she got, but it was enough. "We have to get up now if we're going to shower and eat breakfast before the car comes to take us to the airport." She added with a little less delicacy. Catherine huffed a laugh when she felt Steve's hand fumble and then find its way around to cup her rear end. "If we go inside right now we'll have time for that too." She purred, making sure her intentions were just as clear as his were.

Like a ventriloquist's dummy suddenly come to life, Steve sprung up and was rubbing his eyes to adjust to the early morning light as efficiently as possible. "Yeah, I'm up." He rubbed his hand over his entire face and sighed. "I'm uh, yeah. Awake." He nodded, shifting his weight to allow Catherine the ease of getting out of the hammock first.

"C'mon," She chuckled as he soon followed and they headed back to the bedroom to make one last use out of it.

In what felt like minutes later the dreaded journey home had begun. While just a few hours previously Steve and Cath had been consumed with nothing but each other and the early morning Tahitian sun, it all seemed like a distant memory as they stepped off the jetway and headed in the direction of where they'd parked his truck just a few days earlier.

"Aloha, and welcome home." A traditionally dressed woman greeted them at the entrance of the parking garage. They both managed to work up a polite smile, but it was obvious the woman was thrown by their sullen state. "Aloha," Catherine added, noticing the confusion on her face.

"Hmm?" Steve spoke for the first time since setting foot on Hawaiian land. Clearly lost in his own thoughts, he didn't realize she wasn't speaking to him.

"Oh, I just." She stopped herself, feeling like the energy to explain wasn't even worth the small gesture that it was. "Nothing." She finished dejectedly.

"There," Steve pointed to the sign for the lot number they'd parked in, obligingly forgetting Catherine's words. They continued in silence as they got to truck, loaded the bags and climbed in for the very last leg of the short, but disheartening journey home.

"So, how was it?" Danny asked a little too cheerily for Steve's liking the next morning as they sat in his office savouring their money coffee. Thankfully it was a quiet day around HQ, and it allowed him to hang back and ease into his busy life again. "You really want to know?" Steve asked his partner, unable to hide the surprise from his face.

"Wait," Danny quickly held up a hand to sign stop. Steve was amused by the realization the detective had, even if Danny himself wasn't. "How about, uh, one word? Sum it up in one word, please. That'll give me all I need." He nodded with a smile, knowing he could fill in the blanks easily enough.

Steve chuckled while doing his best to fulfill the request. "One word, huh? Just one?" He probed, though he already had the perfect word in mind.

"Yeah," Danny nodded after taking a sip from his coffee. "Like uh, like game show Password, right?" He took another sip quickly. "But uh, keep it a family show, please." He giggled, pleased with his little joke.

"Sand." Steve said plain and simple as day before enjoying another sip of his coffee too. He also enjoyed the utter confusion littered across his partner's face.

"Excuse me?" Danny asked in his brash way. "Sand, is that uh, that's your word?" Steve nodded his confirmation, making Danny nod as if it somehow helped him understand. "I see. So, in other words, uh, more than one," The blond giggled again. "Your weekend was so good the only word you can come up with that doesn't involve sex, is sand?"

At the mere mention of sex and sand in the same sentence, Steve reflexively shifted in his chair. But before he could say anything else they were interrupted by a quick knock and an opened door. "Hey, guys." Catherine smiled at them both, glancing from one to the other. "How's it Danny?" she asked, crossing the room and sitting on the sofa.

"Oh, great." He smiled pleasantly. "Steve was just telling me about your weekend." He left the words hang in the air for a second before continuing. Sure enough, Cath shot a look at Steve that everyone in the room knew meant she was worried about what he'd said. "All good though, don't worry." Danny carried on, happily voicing her thoughts. I asked him to sum it up in one word, and uh, well it really gave nothing away. So," he cleared his throat and finished the last few sips from his mugs. "All your shenanigans are safe."

"One word? _Really_?" she asked, clearly very interested as her glance shot straight to Steve with a smirk. She knew it was safe to assume the two of them discussed things she and Steve did to a point; as they should. She already had a plan in mind to rib Steve just a little bit more and she was egged on even further by the clear amusement Danny was getting from watching Steve squirm a little in his seat. "Let me guess, sand?" She asked both, earning a confused look from Danny and an eye roll from Steve. While it was still sad coming home after such a pleasurable weekend, Catherine was happy to discover she could squeeze just a little bit more out of it, even if it was at Steve's, or rather, Steve's rear end's expense.


End file.
